4.e 1 staff report - 2016 health in comprehensive planning partner project funding
Staff Report
Date of Meeting:
To: City Council
From: Neil Soltis, Administrator
Re: 2016 Health in Comprehensive Planning Partner Project funding
Background: Living Healthy in Washington County (LHWC) is pleased to announce an opportunity for cities to
apply for 2016 Health in Comprehensive Planning Partner Project funding. These funds are made available
through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), which strives to help Minnesotans lead longer,
healthier lives by preventing the chronic disease risk factors of tobacco use and exposure, poor nutrition and
physical inactivity. The active living and healthy eating portion of Washington County’s SHIP grant focuses on
using Policy, Systems and Environmental changes to increase opportunities for physical activity and consuming
healthy foods
Issue: Should the City proceed with a grant application?
Details / Discussion: Sherri spoke with Ann Pung-Terwedo at the County and gathered the following information
about this grant funding. She said that the County hopes to get applications from all over the County, and wants to
make sure there is a geographic spread. One of their bigger goals is to get communities to think about health-related
concerns and possibilities that are really unique to the community, and to get communities to identify unique elements
that exist now, and how they might be supported with new policies or efforts coming out of the next Comp Plan. So she
thinks if there are some things unique to Scandia related to healthy foods, local food production (honey, etc.), healthy
living, that should be identified as something that is part of the community identity & goals for the next Comp Plan,
those would be good options for the grant.
Options:
Recommend that Planning staff prepare a grant application
Take no action on a grant application
Recommendation: The City will need to begin its comprehensive planning process in 2017 in order to be
completed by December 31, 2018. With the % of seniors living in Scandia and the high % of agricultural land,
the assessment would provide very useful data for the planning process.